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Monday, December 19, 2011

With the holiday season fully upon us, I have to wonder, how many of our readers find themselves putting their project management skills to use for personal projects?

Be it planning your gift choices or organizing a holiday party, there are many moments during this busy season when those skills can come in handy. For example, do you find yourself identifying your holiday requirements say, sometime around Thanksgiving? What about having a daily scrum over breakfast with family members ("Yesterday I purchased stamps, today I'll be writing and addressing cards.")? Certainly project cost estimating and cost management skills can be extremely useful during this period and New Year's resolutions look a lot like retrospectives to me.

So, do you project manage your holidays? Or does the idea seem too cold to you, and you would rather use this time as an opportunity to relax and let go of the reins? Share with us in the comments and happy holidays to all of our readers here on the ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® blog!

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and the voice behind the @Project_World twitter. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com

Friday, December 9, 2011

This recent study by two University of Minnesota sociology professors looks at the effect of the the Best Buy headquarters switch to a ROWE, or "Results Only Work Environment."

The study found that, as a whole, employees working in the ROWE format were overall more invested in their work and had a lower turnover rate.

Reading the piece by Fast Company, I couldn't help but be reminded of our PW&WCBA presentation by Terri Dickson, "Soft Skills in a Virtual Team Environment." In this presentation, Dickson discussed ways to work with a team when you aren't meeting in person regularly: specifically how to maintain accountability and avoid trust issues or project slippage.

In her experience, when the team used specific strategies for maintaining good communication working virtually was as or more effective then working on site and meeting in person. Much like an environment where employees have more freedom with their hours, working remotely can allow team members to have better work/life balance, and feel more in control of their work.

Would you ever consider moving to a Results Only Work Environment? Do you think this would have a positive or negative effect on your overall ability to accomplish projects? How does this approach mesh with Agile methods?

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and the voice behind the @Project_World twitter. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Disney's Approach to People Management - The Magic Behind Great Teamwork

Ah, the magic - this session started off just with that - a montage of clips from Disney movies, ABC shows, ESPN, Disney Parks, Pixar, Marvel comics (all part of the Disney family)........if I wasn't so interested in hearing what we could each do to create a piece of magic within my own teams, I might have been next in line for Splash Mountain!

The Disney Institute was created to share Disney best practices - and, our speaker, did just that. Each cast member (employee) at Disney, has the responsibility to all other cast members to help them "deliver the magic". The Disney Chain of Excellence - since a for-profit organization, works to achieve financial results by ensuring guest satisfaction. This is done by cast excellence - which is driven by leadership. The magic of teamwork is woven together through culture, selection of cast, and training.....for the guests (customers), value and satisfaction is based on guest experience - setting the common goal for cast members "to create happiness".

Food for thought - though we can't all have a fairy godmother to sprinkle success into our projects, by focusing on our team members - the folks who really get the job done - to understand their role, why it is important, and how they contribute to the vision, to respect each team member as if they were our customer/guest, and to help each team member realize that he/she has value/information to share, we are well on our way to creating that magic within our own teams.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Next up, Dr. Terence M. Barnhart, R&D from Pfizer - or, Dr. Terry as we came to call him. He sure called it right when he identified at the start of his talk that "projects are complex problems - alot of people are moving in the same direction" so that to make this happen, "you've gotta write 'it' down" - and, to make this work "you've gotta find a method to get it done --- project management". Boy, is he singing my song - Project management is not about document management, but it is about people management. Finding out what our stakeholders need and managing a group of individuals to make all of that happen. Talking to the right people to get the information and decisions necessary - and, then writing it down so that we don't forget (because it is complex). It is the conversations that add value; following the process so that we get it done in an efficient and proficient way.

Key points - as project managers, a structure needs to be created so that people can do the work. Dr. Terry challenged us NOT to identify the activities first and shared three flaws in activity based planning:

The future is unknown (work can be defined and the project still fails)

Activities are defined (plan flex is gained through contingencies)

Activities are statements that lock orientation (so that when failure occurs, it is hard to think up alternate paths to success)

His fix to us is to approach the plan by asking questions vs. identifying activities. This opens up our orientation to different things and ways of thinking.

Okay, let me try this - or, rather he had us try this by having us (individually) write down some steps of a project we are working on. I am creating a new PM workshop for a client, so I wrote down:

Identify need

Identify what exists

Collect requirements

Create course map

Build content

Build exercises/case studies

Run pilot

Revamp

(Okay, not a great list, but we only had a few minutes.....)

Now to the new paradigm - write down the questions that each step answers:

Why are we doing this training? What problem are we trying to solve?

What do people already know? What other training/tools/processes exist to support the problem

What do people need to know/do different/not do as a result of this training?

How are we going to meet the need?

What information to people need to know to meet the need?

How can we ensure people can apply the knowledge?

How well does our solution meet the need?

How can it be even more effective?

Insight (and highlight too!) - By identifying activities first, it seems analogous to building a solution before requirements. We need to start with the "What?" (Questions 1 - 8) vs. the "How?" (Steps 1 - 8). This ensures that we are focusing on the real work that needs to be done - that if we first list our questions (what the intent of the project is about) and then take any template WBS (or start from scratch) to develop how we answer those questions, then we can arrive at a task list geared to the real need of the project. The What, not the How. Ask questions, then convert into activities.

Answered questions are yet another way to communicate status - in a way that our stakeholders can connect. Unanswered questions represent clear gaps in the project. And, these questions, like any template, are durable and reusable. Risk management is integrated in how the question is answered - low risk way to do it by thinking through question, alternatively, the medium and high risk approaches. Each question can also be analyzed for the level of risk it introduces to the project - perhaps breaking a question into more detail can help us better manage the risk!

My takeaway - Dr. Terry's "Critical Question Mapping & 'Organic PM'"

Identify a Strategic problem/opportunity

Brainstorm questions that need to be answered to solve problem or create opportunity

Arrange in Categories (Project Phases!)

Order/sequence with arrows

Answer questions (by breaking into activities, doing work)

Project complete!

My highlight - the quote he shared (source unknown) - "As I get older, passes me by." The < >; could be replaced with many other facets of our lives - don't let Project Management pass you by - integrating both Chuck and Dr. Terry's presentations - professional development is key - step back from how PM is being done and look at what questions you should be asking....or answering.

Chuck Millhollan, Director of Program Management for Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, known worldwide as the "Greatest Two Minutes in Sports"(!!!) and a self-professed PM Geek started the morning off - It was good to start the day with Chuck - not only because his energy was contagious - but, his message reminded us why it is so important to continue our journey of professional development. Bottom line, having a PMP or CBAP designation is now a baseline - not a differentiator. There are a whole host of skills and competencies leaders seek - when asked "I just wish my PM/ BA could __________", the fill in the blank is never completed with "get their PM/ CBAP" certification.

Chuck offered the "Chuck's PM/BA Taxonomy" - a focused offshoot of Bloom's Taxonomy. At Level 1, the foundation, is Knowledge and Comprehension. Can you list and explain? Level 2 is Application - Can you Apply and Act? Moving to Level 3 - Arrange & Prioritize and finally at Level 4 - Synthesis and Evaluation - to adapt and defend. Certification is used as a filtering process; the value to organizations is one's proficiency.

The PMP/CBAP exams fit into Level 1. At Level 4 are skills and competencies like Critical Thinking, ones that take more time to acquire and integrate into how you carry out your day to day work. His challenge to us as PM's and BA's is to develop a tailored professional growth plan based on our current knowledge, skills and behaviors. Certification validates our foundation knowledge; it is not the end but the beginning of our journey to develop into experts in our fields. My question to you - what are you doing to move through Levels 2 - 4 (I, for one, am attending PWWCBA to further develop my professional abilities)?

As a Project Management Consultant, I always get asked "Do you have a template for that?" When Chuck remarked that the real question is "How did that template help? What challenges did you face in implementing this?", I realized that getting the template is only Level 1 - the real result, using it effectively to move the project forward successfully, requires focusing that template for use (Levels 2 and 3) and then applying Level 4 to actually make it stick. Key point!

Highlights? Sitting with a like-minded group of folks, engaged in a discussion about how we best continue our professional journey. What is really expected of us. How we become most proficient in our professional journey. Chuck said it best - let me close with 2 quotes:

"The measure of professionalism is that you do the things you don't like to do with the same level of passion of things you like to do."

Monday, November 21, 2011

From day one at our Agile Summit to the 2011 Your Space activity, PW&WCBA 2011 was a truly interactive event.

Check out some photos from our time in Orlando here:

The learning doesn't end with the live event: make sure you are opted-in to our email list for event updates, exclusive content and more. Plus, join our LinkedIn community to stay in touch with industry experts from around the world. If you attended the event, you can find documentation and information about claiming PDUs on crowdvine. Lastly, stay turned right here and on twitter for a year round source for Project Management and Business Analysis news.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Carlos Dominguez started off the final day of the 2011 ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® talking about everything from RFID tracking trash:

To a generation that doesn't understand magazines:

So what does new technology and the new generation of workers mean for business? We're leaning to a point where "everything is being rebooted." Where once it was the music industry being dismantled by new technology, now the change has spread to newspapers, finance, education and more. In 10 years, it is estimated that over 40% of the fortune 500 will no longer exist.

Characteristics of a successful company in this environment are:
Ability to embrace change
Leveraging new technology (such as video)
Collaboration

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and the voice behind the @Project_World twitter. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com

Sandler works with the Jazz team at IBM. According to the Jazz site, "Jazz is an initiative to transform software and systems delivery by making it more collaborative, productive and transparent, through integration of information and tasks across the phases of the lifecycle."

One interesting aspect Sandler mentioned briefly was the idea of social currency being built up as users of a collaborative product digitally compliment their coworkers for providing useful information. In addition to actually allowing employees to easily access the assets (such as educational materials, documentation or presentations) they need more easily and conveniently to accomplish a task, this social level of feedback provides both positive reinforcement and a metric for evaluation. Would you consider implementing a system like that at your company? Are there any disadvantages to a "reward" system like this?

During our next session "Measuring Product Knowledge Not Project Tasks" with Dr. Terry Barnhart, Senior Director Global R&D, Pfizer, Barnhart shared an activity that could be a good exercise for anyone wishing to think their way around project roadblocks.

Step 1. Write down a multi-step task (say, 5 steps) in a project you are working onStep 2. Write down two entirely different sets of steps that could give you the same output valueStep 3. For each step of the process, write down the questions that each step answers
(For example, if your step is "Walk to the store to get food" the question might be "How am I going to feed myself?")
By replacing activities with questions you open yourself up to different possibilities. Answered your questions become a proxy for progress on your project, unanswered they can show you clearly where your project gaps are.

Our first main conference day at the 2011 ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® kicked off with Chuck Millhollan identifying himself with one word (Geek, rather than the string of letters that follow his name MBA, MPM, PMP, PgMP, CBAP) and then identifying some of the characteristics that make a good Project Manager.

Many of these terms are only glancingly mentioned in the PMBoK ad BABoK, yet these are the soft skills that hiring managers are looking for most. Hard skills (or certification for that matter) are implied or expected, but soft skills will set you apart. According to Millhollan, the continued value of a project manager is more about critical judgement then simply maturing processes and technologies.

Key takeaway: don't learn the body of knowledge to make yourself more marketable, learn the foundations to make yourself a great PM or BA.

Soft skills, professional acumen and then lastly business acumen mare the recipe for a great PM or BA.

The most memorable quote for me from this session was the following: "Knowledge is not power, knowledge is potential, how you apply the knowledge is power"

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and the voice behind the @Project_World twitter. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com.

Monday, November 14, 2011

It was fortuitous for me that I chose to attend Ellen Gottesdiener's final session of the day "Powerful Planning, Agile Analysis: Structured Conversations to Deliver Value" as it involved an in-depth use of the Project World website as an example of finding value for customers/users.

We identified many different possible users for the site:
attenders
vendors
bookers
reviewers
approvers

(Ellen's tip: give each user type a name that describes what they do, not a job title, things ending in "er")

Each of these users has different requirements priorities such as: register securely, ease of use, find out attendee numbers, see a business case showing ROI of attending the event. You can perform discovery to find out what your users need through steps such as interviews.

These requirements can then be a means to the end of finding value.

So, what would your requirements be for the 2012 ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® website?

Jennifer Brownson of BMC Software kicked off the after lunch sessions at the Agile summit discussing the fact that everything at BMC is run using Agile practices, from software development to accounting.

Starting with a core agile cross functional team in 2004, Jennifer was part of a group that made the original switch to Agile. Originally one large product line of about 350 people worked on intentionality, trust of the team, and risk taking. By summer of 2008, those practicing Scrum within the company numbered close to 1,000 and eventually the momentum built to where it is today.

Some growing pains are to be expected during a transformation like this, but with internal buy-in, a certain amount of peer-pressure and a dedicated evangelist team that eventually won over agile champions within the PMO, the battle wasn't entirely uphill. The tipping point: management support of agile, building a symbiotic IT/product team relationship and a structured training program that is readily available.

In Linda Cook's session "Kanban – Limit Work In Progress and Go Faster" we started speaking the language of Kanban. Literally meaning "Card Signal," Kanban has some manufacturing roots as cards directed employees which task to start when.

Linda made one fun observation during the session: that business analysts are key to Kanban as they have a unique skill: they are "bilingual," translating information into stories. So, let's start deciphering Kanban and translate what it is and is not:
- Kanban is not just a software development methodology, not just an approach to project management, and much more than just a card wall

- Kanban is used to control Work In Progress, it promotes incremental change and it requires some existing process to already be in place

Next Linda introduced the idea of creating "Slack":
Slack can reduce variability and thus improve quality and smooth out the flow to achieve an even cadence, or rhythm of events.

Kanban methods:
Help visualize the process with workflow models
Help to identify bottlenecks when the steps of the process are drawn on a model
Encourage continuous improvement
Minimize the initial impact of changes
May help reduce the resistance to change

We then wrapped up the session by making sample Kanban walls. Look for pictures of our work here soon.

The 2011 PW&WCBA kicked off just now and I'm writing live from the Agile Summit. We got our minds flowing first thing with a "human histogram" - breaking out the group to see years worked in agile, types of products worked on, and more.
Ellen Gottesdiener, our Agile Summit Chair asked participants to start the day by grouping around Agile terms from our pre-conference glossary: Retrospectives, Backlogs, Velocity and more. Participants then wrote down what question, puzzle or issue they would need addressed today to feel that the summit was a good value. Over the course of the day, they'll be checking in on these issues. What is yours? Share with us in the comments.

Next we went through our "Petcha Kutcha" - an exercise where each speaker of the day presented their session through 20 slides with 20 seconds per slide. This exercise is a great preview of what we have in store for the day - not to mention a good way to decide which session to attend during our breakout tracks.

So far we're off to an exciting, interactive start of day one at PW&WCBA. Keep watching this space for more conference coverage.
Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and the voice behind the @Project_World twitter. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com

Friday, November 11, 2011

In this new series of posts, we are joined by guest blogger Connie Emerson, Principal, ProjectMAPS, Stratham, NH.

Connie is a project management practitioner, providing training and consulting services to support an organization’s project management implementation. Insights are based on her own project management experience along with 28 years of implementing project management within client organizations. She is also an adjunct faculty member at several universities, teaching in their Masters in Project Management programs. Connie received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware and her MBA from the Krannert School of Business, Purdue University. She is a member of PMI and a registered PMP.

Hi! I’m Connie Emerson and welcome to my first blog, in anticipation of the Project World and & World Congress for Business Analysts. I am counting down the hours until I get on the plane (up here in chilly NH) and arrive in Orlando – to spend several days with like-minded project management and business analysis folks!

Why am I doing this blog? Well, my friends call me, with all love and affection, a Project Management Geek. I love all things project management – and, I know that an “old project manager” CAN learn new tricks. I have had the opportunity to attend several PW & WBCA events in the past. I take away much from each session – and from the informal conversations I am able to have with other attendees in the hallway and during networking breaks. But, it seems that the conference comes to an end too soon - and, I only wish that there were more hours in the day to find out how others implement the art of project management to best serve their organization – and, how we can apply the best practices share in the conference sessions.

Over my blogs, I will be sharing with you my key takeaways and insights from the event – and how I hope to put them to use. I hope that I do meet up with you in the networking sessions so that we can chat informally about project management, business analysis and the tips and tricks we pick up from the session presenters. And, if we don’t –well, I am excited about this blog because it will give me more of a chance to share my insights and learn from yours! Join me on this community –share your session highlights and what new or revised tips you can implement to make your PM/BA life just a little richer – and less crazy.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Wondering what your 2011 Project World experience will be like? Take a look back at these on site photos from our event in 2010:

Be it networking, enjoying engaging speakers or sharing thoughts and insights during the annual "Your Space" exercise, the three days of Project World are a jam-packed experience. Interested? Register now and join us at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, FL next week.

Can't make it this year? Follow along in this space, and on twitter at #PWWCBA for live coverage and make sure to Opt In to get updates on future events!

Blueprint is the world leader in requirements management solutions for enterprise application development. Its patented requirements definition and management software improves the expressiveness and quality of requirements, dramatically reducing the miscommunication that leads to rework, delays, and budget overruns. With Blueprint’s solution, business analysts clearly express requirements using a range of visual formats that are integrated to enforce consistency and remove conflicts, stakeholders understand and efficiently validate the requirements, and the team effectively leverages them throughout the entire lifecycle. Blueprint dramatically improves the software development lifecycle, accelerating delivery times and reducing costs for hundreds of major corporations. Headquartered in Toronto, Blueprint has sales offices throughout North America.

Are you on twitter, or do you look to twitter for Project Management information? Who are your "must follow" #PMOTs or BAOTs (Project Manager on Twitter or Business Analyst on Twitter in case you were wondering).

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Leading up to the Project World event later this month, we're taking a look at some of our most exciting sessions. Today we wanted to highlight our keynote by Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice-President, Office of the Chairman and CEO, Cisco which will take place on Wednesday, November 16 at 8:30 am.

This session will be entitled "Everything is Being Rebooted: New World, New Rules - Surviving, Leading & Thriving in Our New World."

Technology is changing our new world at an unprecedented pace: we are always connected, consuming and contributing. This in turn is disrupting existing business models and creating new market opportunities. How do you leverage the present while preparing for the future? What do you need to know as leaders? Explore with Carlos “the tech nowist” how to leverage our changing world and win the hearts and minds of customers.

This activity focuses on the collective knowledge and expertise of all attendees and speakers and allows you to channel the brilliance of a roomful of PM and BA professionals. During this activity all attendees and speakers gather in roundtables. Bring along your specific questions and get the answers you need to take action as soon as you get back to the office. After this session, we will compile the key deliverables gathered at each roundtable and provide you with a report following the conference. This report will serve as your tool for turning ideas into action.

This content was originally posted on Agilescout.com read the full post there.
Michael Menke, Ph.D. moderating topic discussions:

You have less than a month left to register for PWWCBA and join us at Your Space 2011! Don't forget that readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG. Register today.

Join us November 14-16 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando for Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts. Register now to secure your spot and receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG. Register here.

We hope to see you next month in Orlando!
The ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts Team

One of the top sessions in 2010 was by Ellen Gottesdiener of EGB Consulting, entitled "Improving Your Product and Process with Retrospectives." Read coverage of this session by our guest blogger Agile Scout here.

Below, enjoy a video interview with Agile Scout's Peter Saddington and Ellen recorded just after her session at Project World 2010.

For more great content from Ellen Gottesdiener, Founder, Principal Consultant, EBG Consulting, Inc., view our recent webinar "Reduce Rampant Requirements Risks with Agile Practices." You can access the free recording here. Or, join us this November for the new Agile Summit. Learn more here.

You have less than a month left to save on PWWCBA! Don't forget that readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG. Register today.

If you're interesting in learning more about Agile certification, join us on Monday, November 14th, 2011 for our full day summit on "Adopting & Implementing Agile Practices." To learn more, download the agenda.

Unprecedented in size, scope, breadth, depth and participation, this is truly the best event the industry has ever seen. PW&WCBA tackles your mission-critical topics such as leadership, communication, collaboration, change management, social media, retaining top talent, virtual teams, managing next generation and more.

You'll get a pass to the annual PW&WCBA November event plus exclusive access to a networking community and on-demand webinars, to help you grow and learn throughout the year.

By participating as a guest blogger leading up to and at the event, you’ll receive an all access pass for the entire event, taking place November 14-16, 2011 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, FL. Responsibilities will include attending specifically assigned sessions and blogging live or same day.

In exchange for guest blogging, you will receive an all-access pass to the event – a $3,000+ value. Guest bloggers are responsible for their travel and lodging.

Apply today by sending your name, company, short biography and links to your blog or writing samples if applicable to Michelle LeBlanc at mleblanc@iirusa.com.

Why Attend PW&WCBA?ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® is vastly different from any other project management and business analysis event because it is designed to be truly transformational. This is the place where leading project management and business analysis professionals come together to share their challenges and stories of success. Join them this year and take advantage of this unique opportunity to collaborate and learn with your peers, and return to the office ready to implement your learnings.

For one investment fee, you'll receive:• Pass to the Annual November Conference• Up to 36 PDUs/CDUs plus earn your way toward the new Agile Certification (PMI's PMI-ACP)• A continuous education series of on-demand web seminars offering you up to 12 more PDUs/CDUs• Connect with peers before and after the event through an exclusive networking sitePlus, you don't want to miss our impressive keynote line-up:• Dr. Terry Barnhart, Senior Director, Global R&D, Pfizer• Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice President, Office of the Chairman and CEO, Cisco• Peter Guber, Founder & CEO, Mandalay Entertainment, Author, Tell to Win - Connect, Persuade and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story• Chuck Millhollan, MBA, MPM, PMP, PgMP, Innovative Management Solutions, LLC• Disney InstituteDownload the conference brochure for the full speaker line-up.

The industry's leading companies will be attending - don't get left behind - gain the skills, insights and techniques you need to be more valuable to yourself and your organization.

Join us November 14-16 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando for Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Project World webinar presenter Joseph Flahiff will be taking the new PMI Agile Certified Practitioner Exam this Wednesday, October 12th and then sharing his insights about the exam live on a teleconference. You can also expect an update on the Beta Progam by Rory McCorkle during this teleconference.

For details on the call, click here. Feel free to invite your local PMI chapters or Local Agile User Groups!

You can also submit your questions before and during the teleconference to Hashtag #ASK_PMIACP @joseph_flahiff. And if you're not already, follow us @Project_World for coverage.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

To create the 2011 ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® event, we talked to hundreds of executives in project management and business analysis to find out what challenges they face - then set out to provide solutions. The results are in and the program speaks for itself. Once again, we have successfully brought you the TOP gathering of project management and business analysis executives in the business. Don't be confused by the competition.

Attendees will hear from the most inspiring / most educational / most sought after minds in the business...

Unlike any other event, within one conference pass, you'll get a pass to the annual PW&WCBA November event plus exclusive access to a networking community and on-demand webinars, to help you grow and learn throughout the year. It's the educational investment that keeps on giving.

Join us November 14-16 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando for Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts. Register now to secure your spot. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG.

Because requirements-related problems are often cited as one of highest risks for any type of software project, more and more project leaders and business analysts are turning to agile methods of relief. Learn from requirements expert and agile coach Ellen Gottesdiener how agile teams successfully address and resolve key requirements risks.

You will learn how to:• Identify the most common requirements-related to risks on any project• Describe agile requirements practices that mitigate requirement risks• Name key agile practices that facilitate the ability to for project managers and business analysts to requirement reduce risks

Participants will also receive a subscription to EBG's eNewsletter, Success with Requirements.

About Ellen GottesdienerEllen Gottesdiener is founder and principal of EBG Consulting, experts helping you deliver high-value products your customers want and need. Ellen is an internationally recognized facilitator, coach, trainer, speaker and expert in agile product management practices, product envisioning and roadmapping, business analysis and requirements, retrospectives, and collaboration. She works with global clients and speaks at numerous numerous industry conferences.

About EBG ConsultingEBG Consulting experts help you deliver high-value products your customers want and need. Based on many years of experience in a variety of domains, EBG helps you calibrate your practices to produce timely, quality products. EBG is a leader in helping business and technical teams collaborate to deliver valued, useful and usable products using the agile practice. EBG helps you incorporate appropriate business and requirements analysis practices to ensure a shared understanding of product needs.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Leading up to the Project World and World Congress for Business Analysts conference, we're featuring the outstanding bios of some of our speakers. Today let's take a look at Terri Dickson, PMP, Program Manager, External Mandates & Compliance Implementation, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Owings Mills, MD.

A Project Management Professional since 2005, Terri has over 10 years of project management experience combined with 20+ years of experience in Information Technology, Health Care Insurance and Government contracts. In 2009, she accepted a position that took her from managing large scale projects with daily face-to-face team contact to a totally virtual team environment – literally overnight.

Terri will be presenting "Soft Skills in a Virtual Team Environment" on Wednesday November 16th 2011 in the From Project Manager to Project Leader track at Project World. You’ve mastered the art of soft skills with your team. You’re able to recognize every nuance of body language and team interaction and now your next assignment is managing a totally virtual team. What now?

Transitioning your soft skills to an environment without face-to-face contact can be daunting. Learn how to leverage your soft skills and communication skills to become an effective virtual team leader.

In this session you will explore:• Transitioning soft skills from a face-to-face to a virtual team environment• How to be an effective virtual Team Leader• Tips and Tools for effective (and clear) communications and how to avoid the pitfalls that occur in a virtual environment

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Leading up to the Project World and World Congress for Business Analysts conference, we're featuring the outstanding bios of some of our speakers. Today let's take a look at Paul A. Capello, PMP, Project Office Manager, Bayfront Health Systems. Paul will be presenting "Managing the Increase in ARRA-Focused Projects: A Real Success Story with the Bayfront PMO Workbook" on Monday, November 14, 2011 in the Annual PMO Summit.

Bayfront Medical Center has established a Project Management Office to facilitate, educate and demonstrate Project Management principles and methodologies. Bayfront Medical has realized the benefits of putting work into projects within the organization; however the large number of projects and the complexity of the projects have resulted in difficulties around collaboration and communication. As the organization tries to transform itself from a reactive organization to a proactive organization and realize efficiencies and cost savings to meet the needs of an evolving marketplace certain tools are created. Thus, the project workbook was born.

In this session you'll learn:• How to effectively communicate across project teams using a project workbook
• How to have Project Milestones documented
• How to introduce team members to Project Management methodologies

Paul Capello has extensive experience in a wide range of project management duties involving high technology systems development and integration projects, with particular expertise in project leadership and cost and schedule management. Paul is conversant with state-of-the-art technologies and complex technical subjects.

Paul’s recent activities include project management training and mentoring, project management presentations to large groups, leading a 35 person software development team to achieve client acceptance of a client/server budgeting system, writing a complete project management methodology for a health system, developing and delivering a 5 day project management training course, writing a software development methodology, managing a software engineering department and project teams delivering real-time embedded machine control systems, developing recommendations to strengthen a company's software development methodology, using MS-Project to provide planning and performance tracking for a large healthcare clinical implementation project, developing a scalable methodology to tailor project management disciplines to projects of different size and complexity, and conducting training courses in project management.

Prior to that, Paul was an IT manager and financial manager providing project management support to a multi-million dollar integrated software and hardware development project for Avco Financial.

In 2000, Paul was certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute. Paul also sat on the Board of Directors for PMI South Florida from 1999-2003. Paul has recently been lauded in the Metropolitan Who's Who for Project Management.

Monday, August 29, 2011

I recently had the pleasure of moderating another one of our Project World and The World Congress for Business Analysts year-round webinar series. Our featured speaker was Mark Morgan, founder of StratEx Advisors. Mark has a 30 year history of work with individuals, teams and organizations helping them clarify what they want and focus on getting it. His belief is that solutions to organizational challenges are best constructed to match the unique DNA of the organization. His career has covered engineering, line management, leadership development, business start-up, project management, program management, portfolio management, strategic planning, workshop facilitation and public speaking. Mark has worked with individuals and companies in the high-tech, bio-tech, construction, consumer goods, high volume manufacturing, software, healthcare and internet industries.

Mark raised one point during the webinar that I found particularly applicable to a lot of situations.
How can we fill the void or avoid the disconnect between strategy and individual projects? Or as Mark put it, how can we put content in the "air sandwich"? He identified several key characteristics that can help an organization with this goal: Traceability, Sufficiency, and Capacity.

Is this a challenge you have faced in your company? How did you address the issue? Share with us in the comments.

To enjoy year-round learning benefits such as the webinar series throughout 2012, register for the event today. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG.

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

We hope that you're planning to join us for ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® this November. The industry's leading companies will be attending - don't get left behind - gain the skills, insights and techniques you need to be more valuable to yourself and your organization.

Plus, within one conference package you'll receive exclusive access to the 2011 on-demand Web Seminar Series AND access to the live PW&WCBA conference in November. That's up to 36 PDUs/CDUs in just one package!

Join us November 14-16 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, register now to secure your spot. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Carlos Dominguez is a Senior Vice President in Cisco’s Office of the Chairman of the Board and CEO and a technology evangelist, speaking to and motivating audiences worldwide about how technology is changing how we communicate, collaborate, and especially how we work.

He describes himself not as a "futurist," but as a "Tech Nowist," which is to say someone who is interested in understanding what technology is available today and then using it to it's best advantage.

Dominguez will be presenting the keynote presentation "Becoming a Change Maker: What Technology Can Do to Bring You into the Future" on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 at Project World and the World Congress for Business Analysts. In this session you'll gain insights on how to become a change-maker and create a culture that’s adaptable, agile and understanding of the virtual and global work environment and how you can leverage technology to advance your projects, portfolios and value to your organization.

Check out this video for a sneak peek of his presentation style:

To get started on improving your collaboration technique now, try these seven tips from a post on his blog:

Experiment – Many large enterprises have very strict processes and guidelines on the adoption of new company-wide technology deployments. I suggest adopting an approach of experimentation. Without experimentation you may miss a game changing technology.

Start Small – Engage in three to four small technology deployments and see what works.

Measure / Learn – At the onset of these experiments make sure you figure out a way to capture and measure the impact of these technologies. The data/results are key in gaining support from the executive team.

Executive Sponsor – Find an executive sponsor who is interested in technology or can gain the most from it. Keep them informed on a regular basis.

Expect Failure - Not everything will work. Keep documentation on what failed and why.

Trust – This is one of the key things to understand. Nothing replaces face-to-face meetings. The key human characteristic that enables or hinders collaboration is trust. Technologies like high definition video will have a significant impact on trust since facial expressions and body language are recognized. That makes HD video a valuable tool if the teams have never met or if their personal relationships are limited. Inversely, audio conferencing has very little impact on building trust. Use the right tool for the job!

Inside/Outside Company – To maximize the potential of any collaboration effort, consider how to get people outside your company to participate. Consider suppliers, partners and customers as potential participants and contributors. Some great things may happen!

Over his 35 year career, (including 28 years at Boeing), Purpura has served in both Senior Project and Senior System Engineering roles on a widely diverse range of programs. Bill has been awarded BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineer, an MBA, as well as four post graduate Certificates in Software Engineering from California State University Fullerton. He is Project Management Professional (PMP) certified, a registered Mechanical Professional Engineer (PE) in the state of California, and a SEC certified Registered Investment Advisor.
Bill is currently supporting Boeing’s Strategic Development & Experimentation organization, focusing on the creation of next generation Net-Enabled architectures and environments as well as development roadmaps for technologies critical to Boeing’s new business thrusts. Bill has been awarded 13 US patents (2 more pending), 3 International patents, and one Boeing trade secret. He has also authored/presented scores of papers and training courses within Boeing as well as workshops at Project World in 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009.

This year's session will focus on Earned Schedule (ES). Called out in the 2005 PMI Earned Value Management Practice Standard as an “emerging practice”, Earned Schedule provides analytical tools to address known EVM errors in predicting cost & schedule for complex projects. Drawing on the same data underpinning EVM systems ES Schedule Performance Indicators (SPIs) are calculated based around time, not cost. This allows management to better understand the true progress being made on complex systems in terms aligned with today’s most important project constraints; time-to-market and/or contracted product delivery. This one day workshop will provide attendees with the essential understanding of the theory of ES as well as a working knowledge of the tools and process required to implement it on current/future complex projects.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Sometimes getting a team on-board with a project, or inspiring those around you is all about finding the right story to tell and the right way to tell it. Peter Guber, Founder & CEO, Mandalay Entertainment, Author of Tell To Win has made his career by finding success through storytelling. Guber will present "Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story" this November at Project World.In this session, you’ll hear how this entertainment industry executive has achieved success through purposeful story telling to motivate, win over, shape, engage and sell. After listening to his speech, you’ll know how to craft, deliver – and own – a story that is truly compelling, one capable of turning others into viral advocates for your goal.

Get some quick inspiration this Friday with Guber's Winning Voices video series. In these videos, Guber sits down with influential guests such as Magic Johnson, Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra to talk about telling stories and gleaning insight into the most important skills we have at our disposal.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Can you believe it's already the second week of August? Summer sure goes by fast, and so is your chance to register for the premiere conference brand in project management and business analysis ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® at a substantial discount. So if you haven't already checked out PW&WCBA in Florida this November, download the brochure today here. It's a summer read that may excite you, inspire you and even help advance your career.

The PW&WCBA Difference:
MORE VALUE• Earn up to 36 PDUs/CDUs plus earn your way toward the new Agile certification
• Learning year round with a continuing education series of on-demand web seminars, offering you up to 12 PDUs/CDUs
• Continuous networking through an exclusive networking site

MORE TOOLS• 45+ new tools from each speaker
• Pre-event Agile kit to help maximize training time
• Proprietary corporate matchmaking tool to connect you with your peers

See for yourself why PW&WCBA has consistently garnered near perfect satisfaction and referral scores and the highest company retention rates over any other event of its kind. Whether this will be your first time or you are a veteran attendee, you will have an experience incomparable to any previous events you have attended

Join us November 14-16 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, register now to secure your spot, receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard rate as a reader of our blog with code PW11BLOG. Register here.

We've been discussing the influence of social media on project management software recently and this software takes that to a new level with Foursquare-style badges and a rewards store. What do you think, would you ever use a program like this? (If so, check out our track on "The New Era of Social Communication, Leadership & Collaboration.")

I also came across this video of PW&WCBA keynote speaker Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice-President, Office of the Chairman and CEO, Cisco discussing collaboration tools and Cisco technology.

During the presentation Robin mentioned an article he had written entitled "Should BABOK Include Shorthand?" The article raises an interesting point, "a body of knowledge (BOK) and related certifications can institutionalize bad ideas along with good ones."

What do you think? Does attempting to codify Business Analysis knowledge unintentionally stifle innovation and true analysis? I highly suggest you read the whole article here.

To enjoy year-round learning benefits such as the webinar series throughout 2012, register for the event today. Readers of our blog receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate with code PW11BLOG.

This year's PW&WCBA pays particular attention to accelerating core leadership competencies. In the wake of all the revolutionary change - there's a clear need to elevate the discipline from manager to definitive leader. That's exactly what PW&WCBA is built to do.The PW&WCBA Difference:More Value than Any OtherUnlike any other event, PW&WCBA offers continuous learning and networking year-round. For one investment fee, you will receive:• One pass to the annual conference in November• The opportunity to earn up to 36 PDUs/CDUs, plus credits towards the new Agile Certification• Year-Round Learning: A continuing education series of on-demand web seminars running bi-monthly following the event, offering an additional 12 PDUs/CDUs• Continuous networking through an exclusive networking site where you can connect with your peers before, during and after the event• Download the brochure for full conference details.

Superior ContentThe high-level content stretches far beyond the fundamentals to provide you with the skills, techniques and practices to succeed in today's high-pressure business environment.• NEWLY EXPANDED Agile Summit, customizable for your maturity level• NEW Agile Certification, earn credits onsite• Advanced PMO Summit - Your Roadmap to PMO Success• All NEW Keynotes, sharing enterprise-wide leadership• Four Immersive Tracks with 90 minute in-depth sessions• Back by Popular Demand: YOUR Space• 90% of sessions led by corporate practitioners• No commercialism from the podium

More Tools, More Value• Every speaker will provide one tool or template, that's 45+ new tools• Pre-event Agile kit includes terminology and quizzes to maximize the training time together• Proprietary Corporate Matchmaking to connect you with folks you are most likely to benefit from meetingAttend PW&WCBA and you will return to your organization with the most crucial skills for success, and the tools and techniques you need to get the job done.

Join us November 14-16 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, register now to secure your spot, receive an exclusive 15% discount off the standard registration rate as a reader of our blog with code PW11BLOG. Register here.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The most recent episode of the program (which qualifies for PDUs from PMI incidentally) featured Dennis Brooke, a Senior Program Manager for GE Aviation, discussing web based project management communications tools and specifically Enterprise 2.0 project management tools.

Given our recent features on different options for communicating as a project manager, I found the episode to be especially timely. Check it out here, where you can read a partial transcript and listen to the whole episode for free.

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com.